Is Wold Town the latest scam from "The Startup Con Man"?

Back in March, we brought you word of an upcoming social game called Wold Town, a dragon-based, child-focused game supposedly based on a hit Chinese game called VVDragon.That story was based on a press release issued by a previously unknown company called DinglePharb. Now, it seems that compay may have a connection to a serial startup killer that many refer to as a con man.

The San Francisco Chronicle did some digging and carefully laid out its case against Charles Surry, a.k.a. Charles Lawrence, and how he's left a string of identity theft, failed tech startups, broken promises and disappointed investors in his wake since breaking onto the scene in 1999. The Chronicle alleges that Surry -- and not publicly-named CEO Nathan Agulto -- is the man behind DinglePharb. Furthermore, they lay out evidence that the Chinese VVDRagon is not the smash hit DinglePharb claims it is, and that the company may have up to $1.3 million in debt from a previous incarnation as a company called Shogee.

It's a shame, because we still think Wold Town could fill a gap in child-centric social game in America. After reading this tkedown, though, we've practically given up hope that the game will actually see the light of day.